Guide rails are used to guide the vertical movement of an elevator in an elevator shaft. There are typically two guide rails for each elevator car, one on its each side. If the elevator is equipped with a counterweight, guide rails are used to guide its movement as well. To ascertain the smooth movement of the elevator car or the counterweight along a guide rail, the guide rail needs to be constantly lubricated. This is achieved by lubricating oil that is slowly released from an oil can or an oil box at the top of the guide rail, above the highest point of the elevator movement. The oil then moves downwards along the guide rail through gravity flow. At the bottom of the guide rail, there is an oil collector. Its purpose is to collect the used oil and to prevent it from dirtying the elevator pit and the machinery therein.
Currently, the oil collectors are oil collecting cups that are fitted around the guide rail. The cups can be made of metal and welded to the guide rail. This alternative is expensive and impractical as the oil collector is rigid and cannot be removed for maintenance work. Alternatively, the oil collector can be made of rubber or similar material and retrofitted around the guide rail. The advantage of such oil collectors is, that they are cheap to manufacture and to install on different guide rail profiles. However, they are prone to leakage and thus do not fulfil their function ideally.